Looking at the Patriots 2023

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chevss454

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Roberto71

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aloyouis

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Roberto71

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aloyouis said:
That is a really fucking good story. Thank you for posting it.
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When you read Belichicks quote, it really is quite a statement to make.

If and when Slater does, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who’s coached the game’s greatest offensive and defensive players will likely have a say.
“Certainly Matt Slater will go up there, in the kicking game, with (Tom) Brady on offense and (Lawrence) Taylor on defense,” Belichick said in March 2022.
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chevss454

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Roberto71 said:
This is a really great article on Matt Slater. It's long but well worth it to see how revered he is don't just in NE but in the league. I always felt we were so lucky to have him.

985thesportshub.com

Socci’s View: Matthew Slater is still running in his father’s footsteps

The Flagship Station of the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Revolution
985thesportshub.com 985thesportshub.com
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Excellent article on a guy who knows what being the best you can be truly means. He should be a 1st ballot guy without hesitation. No one's ever done it better.

The best before Slater, former Bill Steve Tasker, knows better than most. He did it all on kicks. Covering. Tackling. Rushing. Blocking. Tasker’s seen Slater do the same. And though he played in a less-regulated time in the game’s violent history, Tasker immensely appreciates Slater’s toughness.

“The game’s rough, man,” said Tasker, laughing. “I know (about) player safety and all that. People whine about being soft and all that; that’s bull****. It’s hard to play.

“You’ve got to chase kicks, and you’ve got to protect for kicks. You’ve got to catch the ball, play the ball, play off blocks, you’ve got to block. I mean, you’ve got to do everything on both sides of the ball, hard, at a high level, covering a lot of ground. So you’ve got to be fast; you’ve got to have an incredible amount of balance, strength (and) tenacity. I mean, it all comes together.”

Last May, The Athletic’s Dan Pompei detailed Slater’s meticulousness in staying fit for a young man’s role in a young man’s game. Long days at Gillette Stadium. Evening yoga after family time. Late-night walks through the neighborhood. The latter to reduce inflammation. And a diet that’s seemingly less appealing than the TB12 menu.

“Ninety percent of what he eats, he doesn’t like,” Pompei wrote.
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I remember going to training camp one hot summer day his rookie year and watching him field punts for punt returns.
Slater took 4 punts and muffed 3 of them. I didn't think he would make it through training camp. What a great story.
 
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Flagg the Wanderer

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The more I've looked at this season, the more I've thought it will come down to one major issue: the emergence of 1-2 pass catchers, presumably among Thornton, Bourne, Strong, Robinson, or one of the rookie WRs. JuJu, Parker, Gesicki, Henry can be enough if you have a speed back, a speedster, and/or dynamic playmaker to stretch the defense another way and split their focus. I think this would especially help JuJu and Gesicki.

Ideally a big jump from Thornton and Strong, with Robinson being healthy and at least effective enough to spell Mondre without losing too much production.
 
rivshark86

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The offense will be average. Hopefully closer to 10th than 20th. I’ve said this a million times, and don’t mean it in a bad way, but Mac Jones is average. He’s a starter, and he’s gonna have a career in the NFL, but so does Andy Dalton. This is this first offseason I’ve loved personnel move wise by the pats in a long long time, so I don’t want to sound negative. But there was a huge hole to dig out from.
The defense is going to be the engine of of this team, and Bill snagging the top corner in the draft was his first great personal move since doubling up in Hightower and Jones over a decade ago.
I think the record this upcoming season is going to be similar to last year, but we will feel much better about it. It’s a tough schedule. Last year the team was worse than what the record said. They were. This year I think the team will be better than what their record says.
This offseason has been everything I’ve hoped for. That says it’s gonna take two more offseasons like this before they are contenders again.
I can be patient if they continue to make good moves.
 
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rivshark86 said:
The offense will be average. Hopefully closer to 10th than 20th. I’ve said this a million times, and don’t mean it in a bad way, but Mac Jones is average. He’s a starter, and he’s gonna have a career in the NFL, but so does Andy Dalton. This is this first offseason I’ve loved personnel move wise by the pats in a long long time, so I don’t want to sound negative. But there was a huge hole to dig out from.
The defense is going to be the engine of of this team, and Bill snagging the top corner in the draft was his first great personal move since doubling up in Hightower and Jones over a decade ago.
I think the record this upcoming season is going to be similar to last year, but we will feel much better about it. It’s a tough schedule. Last year the team was worse than what the record said. They were. This year I think the team will be better than what their record says.
This offseason has been everything I’ve hoped for. That says it’s gonna take two more offseasons like this before they are contenders again.
I can be patient if they continue to make good moves.
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Mac Jones can absolutely be Drew Brees. Most likely outcome is about halfway between Brees and Pennington.
 
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